Leo is the Zodiac sign for August and this month would be dedicated to lions. Melissa chose a majestic male and female lion to represent the Goals and Achievements board for the gym members.
I am intrigued by how an artists mind works and what Melissa could see that I could not. I only saw the chalk board--blank, empty, and intimidating. She began sketching quick lines and soon the lines began to make sense with shadows, depth and dimension.
The murals take anywhere between two and four hours. Sometimes Melissa says she doesn't have a plan and will stare at the wall until an inspiration takes over. Often times she will lose track of time as she draws, everything disappearing while she works. This was no exception, Melissa became enveloped in her work, time flying as the Magic Mike soundtrack bumped in the background.
I watched as the mural took shape from a simple sketched outline to a detailed, intricate, dimensional drawing. A blank chalk wall turned into a beautiful tribute to majestic animals.
When she finished, and I saw an incredible piece of art. As every artist does, Melissa found some imaginary imperfection and perfected it, something that no one else would see. Melissa says her favorite part is getting engulfed into her drawings and stepping back to see the result. As she stepped back she smiled, she finally saw what I had been staring at.
Melissa is an incredible artist and you can check out more of her work at Love Rose Studio on Facebook and IG @melissarose0414.
Follow along as I will continue to spotlight artists and models!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/loverosestudio
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Overall, I am pleased with the event which took nine already beautiful woman and treated them to some pampering and relaxation. This year’s spotlight could not be possible without the help of the wonderful stylists who volunteered their time and services. A huge thank you to Liz from Tainted Inc, Laura, Agata, Nicole and Kristyn from Larissa Lake, Inc., Jennifer, Jenn and Adrianna from Hair Unlimited, Quana from Stylz by Q, and Cheryl from Damato Chiropractic Center.
For more pictures from the event, please click the “Client Access” tab on the main page and use “Spotlight2016” as the gallery ID.
Thank you to the survivors who participated and I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did!
]]>So to prep for the shoot I found Jessica, a model willing to work with me and knowing it was my first shoot of the type, willing to be patient with me. Next to secure a gym to use! Jessica found us Crossfit High Order to use for the afternoon (check them out at http://crossfithighorder.com/).
On the day of, I brought a bunch of lenses and ended up using my 24-70 for the entire shoot, three softboxes, reflector and my new lighting wand. The gym itself has windows on two sides so I used the softboxes to direct the light where I wanted it to land. After playing around a bit I ended up settling on 1/200, f5.6, 160 ISO. I set up the lighting in a triangle, using a large floor to ceiling white board as my white infinity wall (just be careful because the whiteboards reflect the light and if you aren't careful is will shine onto the background itself). I used the reflector to throw some extra light and the wand as a hair light.
1/200 f5.6 160ISO 24-70mm
For this pic I used a softbox on the models left side and a wand as a hair light to back light and cast shadows. The shadows create great definition of her muscles.
In this setup, I used two softboxes on the right side and the natural light coming in from the high windows. I attached the battle ropes to a weight stand and I was positioned directly in the center of the ropes. Yes, she was strong enough to beat me with the ropes....
This was a special request by Jessica. Together we channeled a boxers pose with dark, moody tones. Lighting was set up on her left, above her head, casting shadows on her face.
A huge thanks to Andrew at Crossfit High Order for the use of the gym-I could not have found a better set up and we both thank you for everything you did to help out!
Crossfit High Order http://crossfithighorder.com/
Fall is for families!
Samantha
Ashley & WilliamWickum Park
Carlie
Carlie & EricHubbard Park
Harper-Newborn
Giuliani Grace
Adelynn-8 days new
Gender Reveal...its a girl!
Maternity Beautiful backdrop provided by Lyman's Orchards
This day could not have been done without the help of my hair stylists and makeup artists who donated their time and talent (well above and beyond) as well as Kensington Market, who jumped at the opportunity for donating food and Fourteen G for the spectacular studio and all the help I received to make this day such a success. My wheels are already spinning for next years event!
For more pictures of the day, use the Client Access tab, Gallery ID 'Spotlight'.
I found out about this amazing opportunity masterminded by Genine Gullickson, who is an amazing photographer in the Schenectady, NY area. As her way to continue to give back, she organized an amazing day with six cancer survivors. I was lucky enough to be included and we were treated to a day of pampering; hair and makeup by amazing stylists who donated their Sunday to making the ladies feel beautiful. And let me tell you, the ladies looked amazing…And if that wasn’t enough, a mini-photoshoot with Genine in her beautiful studio, Clique Studio.
Now, I’d like to say my favorite part of the day was getting pampered, spoiled, dolled up, the mile-long eyelashes, the gorgeous pictures taken… but it wasn’t. My favorite part of the day was sitting down with the other five fighters, before the stylists took over; none of us with makeup on, my hair stuffed in a winter hat, sipping on a mimosa, sharing our stories. Six women from all different walks of life shared their stories, fears, strengths, proud accomplishments, frightening moments. We ranged from 3 years cancer free to eighteen years to still in the fight. We may have started that day as strangers, but we left as sisters.
I left with a full heart and a head full of ideas...stay tuned for my opportunity to give back!
And dont forget to check out Genine Gullickson http://www.geninegullickson.com
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